


Melancholy Melody

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Steve/Lynn Breakup, Based on a Tumblr Post, Crying, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentions of Steve/Catherine and Steve/Lynn, Music Performance, Mutual Pining, Office Betting Pool, Ohana, POV Danny "Danno" Williams, Post-Episode: s07e08 Hana Komo Pae (Rite of Passage), Singing, Somewhat Cracky at the End, Steve Feels, Steve plays guitar, everyone ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8549983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: When Steve played his guitar before the second verse, Chin spoke up softly. "I don't think I've ever heard this song before.""It's called 'Jealous,' and it's by an artist named Labrinth," Lou replied. "According to Renée, it's about the singer's parent, who left his family when he was really young."Kono sighed sadly. "I'm pretty sure Steve isn't singing about his mom or dad." She locked gazes with Danny for a moment, and then she shook her head and took another sip of her drink.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by a fic idea from caanoloughlin on tumblr, which you can read here: http://caanoloughlin.tumblr.com/post/148250127099/so-i-was-listening-to-jealous-by-labrinth-and-i
> 
> This fic starts out pretty angsty, and then it gets fluffy. By the end, the fic is more humorous and slightly cracky.
> 
> The song in the fic is "Jealous," and it's from Labrinth. You can watch the video for the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50VWOBi0VFs
> 
> For the purposes of this fic, Steve recently broke up with Lynn and Danny is conveniently single. This fic takes place a few weeks after 7.08.

"Give it up for the musical stylings of Steve McGarrett!"

Kono and Abby hooted loudly, and Danny rolled his eyes at their ridiculous behavior and took a sip of his piña colada. He wasn't going to make a bunch of noise, but he did clap like a normal person as his friend walked onstage.

Danny had been surprised when Steve suggested that the team go back to the bar where Jerry had performed his Elvis song and said that he wanted to perform on open mic night. Shortly after Danny had bought him the guitar two years ago, Steve had told Danny that he enjoyed playing it but that he wasn't comfortable playing in front of other people. Steve had apparently been truly traumatized by his panic attack on stage when he was performing at that talent show as a sixteen-year-old. Danny could sympathize with him, being all too familiar with panic attacks due to his claustrophobia. Steve hadn't said anything about the guitar for a while, but apparently he had decided to try to overcome his fears tonight.

Steve walked onto the small stage with a shy smile and his guitar strapped to his chest. He sat on the stool positioned in front of the microphone. "Hi, everyone. This is my first time performing in a long time." He laughed shakily, clearly nervous.

"You're the man, Steve!" Eric yelled. Danny shook his head. His nephew could be _so_ embarrassing sometimes.

The entire bar laughed at Eric's outburst, including Steve. Apparently, his words lifted some of the worry from Steve's shoulders. He grinned. "Thanks." Steve cleared his throat and directed his attention to the large group of Five-0 and some of their friends. "This song is dedicated to someone very special to me."

Danny glanced around at the group, wondering if Steve had said anything about this song to anyone. He looked at Chin, Abby, Kono, Lou, Max, Jerry, Eric, Kamekona, and Flippa's faces, but their expressions reflected Danny's own curiosity. He redirected his attention to the stage when he heard the soft sound of acoustic guitar as Steve began his performance.

Steve glanced down as he played, focused on what he was doing. In his concentration, Danny could see the passion for music that Steve had told him about two years ago. The slow melody of the chords cast a melancholy mood over the stage, and then Steve began to sing.

_I'm jealous of the rain_  
_That falls upon your skin_  
_It's closer than my hands have been_  
_I'm jealous of the rain_

Steve's voice as he sang was deep, harmonious, and hypnotizing. The entire bar, including Danny, was captivated by his performance. Steve wasn't always the most emotionally expressive person, but you wouldn't know it from how he sang. Every word that flowed from his mouth and every minute facial expression demonstrated the longing and heartbreak written into the song lyrics. He glanced out at the audience as he sang the next words, grief written all over his face.

_It's hard for me to say,_  
_I'm jealous of the way_  
_You're happy without me_

When Steve played his guitar before the second verse, Chin spoke up softly. "I don't think I've ever heard this song before."

"It's called 'Jealous,' and it's by an artist named Labrinth," Lou replied. "According to Renée, it's about the singer's parent, who left his family when he was really young."

Kono sighed sadly. "I'm pretty sure Steve isn't singing about his mom or dad." She locked gazes with Danny for a moment, and then she shook her head and took another sip of her drink.

Danny wasn't sure why Kono had looked at him like that. He had no idea who Steve had dedicated this song to, but her words did remind Danny that Steve actually was singing for someone. As he began to consider this, Steve began the next verse of the song.

_I'm jealous of the nights_  
_That I don't spend with you_  
_I'm wondering who you lay next to_  
_Oh, I'm jealous of the nights_

Right, so someone who had left Steve and pulverized his heart. Catherine, probably. _"I told you when you left me, there's nothing to forgive."_ That sounded like them. Danny's heart gave a traitorous, jealous twinge at the thought. _He deserves better than her. Not that he would ever want **you**._ But Steve had said that seeing Catherine again recently "gave me the closure that I needed." Nothing about this song screamed closure. Danny knew Steve had recently broken up with Lynn, but he described it as a mutual decision. Danny felt more confused than he had before he tried to figure out who this song was for. Maybe Kono was wrong, and this actually was about Doris? But the words "someone special" sounded like something Steve would call a romantic interest.

Danny watched Steve finish the verse and sing the chorus again. He could tell that Steve was gradually breaking down from the emotional toll of thinking about whoever had inspired his performance. Danny swore that Steve was starting to tear up, and he caught Steve glancing occasionally at their table. Finally, as the third verse began, he looked straight into Danny's eyes and wept openly. The expression on his face was equal parts love and despair.

_As I sink in the sand_  
_Watch you slip through my hands_  
_Oh, as I die here another day_  
_'Cause all I do is cry behind this smile_

Steve was smiling miserably at Danny, but tears continued to rain down his face. Danny covered his mouth with his hand to contain a sob, but the tears leaked out of his eyes nonetheless. He couldn't believe that _he_ was the person who did this to Steve, but the despondent longing he saw on Steve's face was too powerful for him to rationalize away.

Steve's voice wavered as he sang the last chorus and the final lines. After he finished the song, he whispered "Thank you" into the microphone and dashed off the stage. A lone clap sounded, and the final words Steve sang echoed in Danny's head as he stared into the space Steve had occupied a few seconds earlier. Danny certainly wasn't happy without Steve. He never had been.

Jerry, who was sitting next to Danny, looked at him in concern. "You all right, man?"

Jerry's words broke Danny out of his frozen state. He was suddenly aware of how the entire table was staring at him. He tried to speak a few times, resembling a goldfish as he gaped for air. He shoved his chair back from the table. "I have to go." Danny ran to the hallway behind the stage.

He immediately found Steve, who was leaning his head against the wall as he shook with sobs. Steve had put his guitar back in the case and had it carefully propped against the wall. Danny walked past the guitar towards Steve and heard the words he managed to choke out through his heart-wrenching gasps. "So fucking stupid to think I could tell him. Stupid, stupid, stupid."

A part of Danny thought he must have imagined that Steve was looking right at him, but his words were confirmation of what he had seen earlier. Danny always thought that he might have been misinterpreting Steve's behavior to see more than was really there, but he had never hallucinated before. He gingerly touched Steve's shoulder. "Hey."

Steve turned around and pathetically attempted to wipe the tears from his eyes, which were bloodshot from how much he had been crying. Danny couldn't imagine that he looked much better. Steve gazed at Danny only for a moment before he glanced at a random spot on the floor. _"Danny."_ So much emotion was packed into that single word. Steve's shoulders trembled and he raised his hand to cover his eyes.

Danny felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest as he saw his best friend fall apart over him. _Because of him._ He had to fix this, so he pulled Steve into a fierce hug.

After a few seconds where Steve stood still as a statue, he melted into the embrace, clutching Danny in a nearly painful grip. He buried his head in Danny's neck, and Danny could feel Steve's warm tears dripping onto his shoulder.

"I'm so goddamn sorry, Danny. Sorry I ruined everything."

Danny pulled away slightly so that he could look Steve in the eyes and moved one hand to Steve's shoulder. His other hand awkwardly hovered over Steve's cheek. "You didn't ruin anything."

He leaned up towards Steve's face, and a sudden light of comprehension dawned in Steve's eyes, replacing the sorrow that was there. He closed his eyes and leaned down to meet Danny in the middle, and they kissed, clinging to each other and letting the power of touch transform their misery into shared joy.

By the time they separated, Steve was breathless, blushing, and grinning. Danny decided it was a really good look on him. "How didn't this happen sooner?"

Danny couldn't contain his responding smile. "Apparently, I was oblivious, and so were you." He shook his head in fond amusement. "I know why I didn't understand, but I have no idea what the hell was going on in your head. I did say you could kiss me a few weeks ago."

Steve laughed. "I didn't know you actually meant it. I thought you were just relieved."

Danny made a "so-so" motion with his hand. "It was a little bit of both." He leaned up to peck Steve on the lips just because he could. The dazed look on Steve's face made it 100% worth it. He clasped Steve's hand in his own. "Come on. Let's go back to the table."

Steve and Danny exited the hallway and walked over to the table. Kono squealed when they were a couple of feet away and she saw that they were holding hands. She jumped out of her chair and ran over to hug them both. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! It finally happened!" She pulled out of the hug and bounced in front of Steve and Danny like an excited terrier puppy, making Danny chuckle at her enthusiasm. "This is the best day ever! Especially for me!" _Wait, what?_ Kono turned back to the table and smirked victoriously. "Time to settle up, guys."

Steve snickered as several people groaned and took out their wallets. Steve and Danny sat down in two empty chairs next to each other. Danny leaned his head against Steve's shoulder and gazed at everyone with disbelief. "You were betting on us?"

Kono was practically dancing as she made her way around the table, starting with Lou. "Yeah, and Max and I made a ton of money." She leaned over the table, and she and Max high-fived.

Lou grumbled as he handed some bills to Kono. "Not that I'm not happy for you two, but you couldn't have done this a month earlier, McGarrett?"

Kono counted the money with a satisfied grin. "You're just grumpy because I beat you after you got all cocky from winning that wheelchair race bet." Lou rolled his eyes, and Kono moved past Chin and Abby, who were the only two people at the table who didn't take their wallets out, to Jerry, who was pouting as he handed some money to Kono.

"Man, I guess Kono really does know everything."

"I told you not to bet against her, Jer." Chin said. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I told everyone that, but Abby was the only one who was smart enough to listen to me." Abby smiled at Chin in gratitude.

"Yeah, you learned that after you kept losing money to me when I was only thirteen years old," Kono bragged. Chin scowled, and Danny couldn't help chuckling. He wanted to feel annoyed at everyone betting on his love life, but the image of a thirteen year old Kono bilking Chin out of his money was too funny. Kono made her way over to Kamekona and Flippa. Kamekona handed his money over with a sad sigh, while Flippa glared at Kamekona as he handed over his money.

"You told me you had the inside scoop, cuz."

Kamekona raised his hands in defense. "I thought I did! I didn't count on McGarrett busting out with the cool song! Now it's going to take me even longer to raise money for my mail order business!"

"Thanks, Kamekona," Steve replied, in response to the comment about his performance.

Eric was strolling back to the group from the bar and smirking as he looked down at a napkin. _He probably got a girl's phone number_ , Danny thought. He glanced up to see Kono splitting several dollar bills between her and Max, and his smirk was instantly replaced with a look of dismay as he pulled out his wallet. "You've got to be kidding me! I can't believe I was only off by a week!"

Danny removed his head from Steve's shoulder. He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Eric! Come on! You're my nephew!"

Eric shrugged and avoided Danny's glare as he handed some money to Kono. "Sorry, Uncle D, but I figured if I was going to be tortured by watching you two pine for each other like a couple of idiots, I might as well make some money from it. Now, I've got to pay Kono _and_ Grace."

Danny blinked in surprise. "Grace? _GRACE?_ You got her to join your crazy betting scheme, you schmuck?!"

"Don't get too mad at him, brah," Kamekona interjected. "You're the one who turned her into such a card shark that she was beating me at poker that one time I watched her your first year here. Betting on this kind of thing is only the next step."

Steve wrapped his arm around Danny. "Well, Danno, at least you can be proud that you taught Grace how to win."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're unbelievable. All of you." Despite his words, he leaned back against Steve's arm. "You know, I understand how everyone else got involved, but how the hell did you get involved, Max? You don't seem like the kind of person to get mixed up in this kind of thing."

Max's eyes lit up. "You would normally be correct, Detective Williams, but once I found out about the extent of the office betting pool, I recognized a tremendous financial opportunity. I calculated that my best strategy would be to partner with Kono, who interacts with you and Commander McGarrett on a daily basis as a member of the task force and therefore had some of the most current information for the purposes of the bet. Additionally, I believed her keen observational skills and female intuition would be an asset in determining when you two would get together. I am quite pleased that I was correct."

Steve snorted. "Wow, Max, way to make betting on us sound like investing in the stock market."

Max blinked owlishly. "It's actually not remotely similar. The subject of the bet was far more certain to occur than the rise or fall of any stock."

Danny chuckled. Max's long-winded, strange, yet logical answer was very typical of him. He was drawn out of his musings by Steve's soft voice. "Yeah, I guess that's true." Danny looked up at Steve to find that he was gazing at him with infinite tenderness. _What a sap._ Danny couldn't resist leaning up to kiss Steve, and he ignored the chorus of "awws" from the others at the table. He was too happy that he could kiss Steve to care if the whole world watched him do it. _Go ahead and look,_ he thought.


End file.
